GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM

Cowra High School is a comprehensive public school with a proud tradition of academic excellence and innovation. Commencing in 2016, we will be offering a program that will give high performing students in Years 7 to 10 opportunities to extend themselves intellectually in an environment that best meets their varying social and emotional needs. This is in addition to the option for students to simultaneously attend Aurora College (the Virtual Selective High School) for their English, Mathematics and Science, and the many opportunities for students in all years to study academic courses at the highest levels, plus the many opportunities for those who are gifted and talented in Sport or the Creative and Performing Arts.

Aims

The Cowra High Gifted and Talented model aims to challenge students to reach their full academic potential through an innovative curriculum model that encourages high achievement, originality, problem-solving, higher-order thinking skills and creativity. Our expert teachers will encourage students to become leaders in their field and nurture their love of learning.

The Gifted and Talented program strives to develop each student as a life-long learner so that they become: Critical thinkers; Active investigators; Effective communicators; Reflective and self-directed learners, and; Creative problem solvers.

Structure

The Gifted and Talented program will run for students in Years 7-10 and focuses on developing, extending & accelerating knowledge acquisition and critical thinking skills in one or all of the following subjects: Maths, English, History, Geography and Science.

There will be four classes, two each in Stage 4 (Year 7 & 8) and Stage 5 (Year 9 & 10). High performing students within each Stage will be grouped into these classes based on their academic ability.

The program will involve slight to major modifications of the curriculum through adjustments to content, processes and skills. It provides a planned, documented and challenging curriculum that matches the ability of high performing students to: learn at faster rates; find, solve and act on problems more readily; manipulate abstract ideas and make connections to an advanced degree.

The program includes enrichment and extension activities. Enrichment refers to the broadening of the curriculum to develop knowledge, application, thinking skills and attitudes to a degree of complexity appropriate to the students’ developmental level. Extension activities involve the deepening of students’ knowledge, understanding and skills.

Selection Process

The Gifted and Talented program is selective and entry will be competitive. Students currently in Years 6-9 can apply and sit an entrance exam for 2016. When selecting students for the program the following are considered: Results from entrance general Ability and Aptitude test; NAPLAN results; Results from national and international competitions; Teacher recommendations and current class results; Interview with the student and parent/carers.

A name for the program will be decided in 2016 by the students involved.